JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Two people were killed in a single-vehicle crash early Thursday morning in James City County, and a Virginia Department of Transportation employee was injured performing traffic control duties at the scene, officials said.
The James City County Fire Department responded to the single-vehicle crash at Pocahontas Trail near Howard Drive and Jackson Street around 2:20 a.m., as a 2007 Acura overturned and struck a utility pole, with live power lines in the road when emergency personnel arrived.
A pole was significantly damaged as a result, and all lanes of Pocahontas Trail were closed while crews investigated and worked to clear the scene. VDOT assisted in traffic control. Dominion Energy was also called to the scene. WAVY video showed power crews working to restore power and repair the pole.
The VDOT employee was injured while helping with traffic control at the intersection of Pocahontas Trail and Howard Drive, James City County Police said.
Around 5:30 a.m., “while coordinating a semi-truck U-turn in the intersection and restricting traffic,” police said, “a vehicle attempted to cut ahead and bypass the line of cars it was waiting behind. The victim stopped the vehicle, failing to comply with the order to wait. The vehicle then accelerated forward and struck the victim, fleeing the scene.”
The VDOT employee did not suffer serious injuries, and no suspect in the hit-and-run has yet been identified. JCC Police are still investigating.
Officials confirmed there were propane tanks near the crash which were damaged and leaking.
The investigation, which included witness accounts, determined the vehicle was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed when it went off the road and hit the utility pole. Officials said alcohol may have also been a contributing factor in this crash.
Medics pronounced the driver, 18-year-old Dimas Juarez Jacobo, deceased on the scene. His passenger, 18-year-old Ulises Fuentes Jordan, was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries. Both men were James City County residents.
Save time on your drive by getting WAVY alerts on crashes, delays and detours. Download the mobile app, and sign up for traffic alerts. Click here for Apple users, and here for Android.